Narrative identity refers to the interconnected web of stories forged by individuals to explain life. These stories are permeated with values and work as resources for the self during role transitions, in a constant flux of construction and revision. By analyzing the accounts of acting *förstelärare this study explores how a professional self is negotiated within a hero’s relational setting, this in order to challenge stereotypes and contradictions in teacher identities. In 2013 the Swedish Government introduced a career reform aimed to attract, and promote the conservation of, high-performing teachers in schools, and thus was the category *förstelärare (’first teacher’) introduced. Drawing on socio-constructive and pragmatic theories of identity, this paper aims to highlight nine individual *first teachers’ representations of experience as a means to consider and reflect upon the complexity of the teaching profession in a late modern society. Ultimately the qualitative analysis identifies the ways *first teachers subconsciously use the hero’s narrative as a tool to discursively negotiate a professional identity.

At the turn of the century, photographers started a transition from analogue to digital photography: a transition which took years to complete. The photographic landscape is now in a new period of development, with new AI-programs based on machine learning. These programs can be about (I) editing programs that aim to streamline the photographic workflow or correct pictures with technical flaws, such as reducing grain from a high ISO or enlarging pictures. The programs also incorporate (II) AI generated images based on prompting from an AI-artist, so called text-to-image programs like DALL-E 3, Midjourney, Stable Diffusion and Firefly 2. In this study we have done seven semi-structured interviews with Swedish photographers. We have used a postphenomenological theory based on Don Ihde’s philosophy. In analyzing the material from the interviews we have used narrative analysis. The results showed that photographers who worked in advertising, with organizations or clients had a higher tolerance for image manipulation with (II). These photographers valued effectiveness in their workflow and saw a larger need to adapt to new technology. While nature photographers valued authenticity and used (I) sparingly. Another result from the study was that Swedish photographers do not consider (II) photography and do not think that AI generated images should be allowed to compete in photo competitions, only in certain categories with only AI generated images.

Genom narrativ analys av fyra berättelser undersöker denna studie så kallade glasbarns levda erfarenheter av deras uppväxt med deras syskon. Syftet med studien är att vidga förståelsen av hur barn påverkas av att växa upp med ett syskon med omfattande vårdbehov orsakat av funktionsnedsättning eller sjukdom. Den narrativa analysen har skett i tre steg: 1) enskild analys av var berättelse; 2) identifiering av huvudnarrativ, och 3) analys av huvudnarrativ. Den narrativa analysen grundade sig framför allt i poststrukturalistisk narrativ teori, men med en antagen utgångspunkt i socialkonstruktivism.  Analysprocessen resulterade i två huvudnarrativ: normalisering och internalisering av sociala roller. Dessa huvudnarrativ kunde sedan brytas ned i underteman som skildrar narrativens komplexitet och nyans. Under normalisering identifierades undertemana: normalisera för samhället; vem hade personen kunnat vara?, och; att passa in i det normativa. Narrativet om internalisering av sociala roller kunder brytas ned i undertemana: att navigera tilldelade sociala roller; att känna ansvar och skuld, och; svårighet med att skapa egen identitet. Slutsatser som dras är att glasbarn har en tudelad relation till normer och normalisering och att tilldelade sociala roller tillsammans med förväntningar, skuld och ansvar hämmar deras förmåga till identitetsskapande. / Through a narrative analysis of four stories, this study examines the lived experiences of so-called "glass children" during their upbringing with a sibling. The objective is to enhance the understanding of how children are affected by growing up with a sibling requiring high care due to disability or illness. The narrative analysis involves three steps: 1) analysing each story; 2) identifying main narratives; and 3) analysing main narratives. The narrative analysis is rooted in poststructuralist narrative theory but grounded in social constructivism. The analysis yielded two main narratives: normalization and internalization of social roles. Themes capturing the complexity and nuance of these narratives could be extracted. From the normalization narrative, the following themes emerged: normalization for society; envisioning an alternative identity, and; conforming to societal norms. The internalization of social roles narrative could be subdivided into: navigating assigned social roles; feeling responsibility and guilt; and struggling with self-identity. The conclusions drawn suggest that glass children have a complex relationship with norms and normalization, and that assigned roles, coupled with expectations, guilt, and responsibility, impede the ability to develop a sense of identity.

Taking the form of a case study on an interpellation on ‘youth crime and street gangs’ and its consideration in plenary debate in the Finnish Parliament in December 2022, the purpose of this study is to examine how politicians narrate the Finnish community of value and its boundaries. The methodological framework of this study consists of strategic narrative analysis, poststructural and critical research theoretical underpinnings, and the operationalization of the concept of ‘community of value’. The findings of the study show that the strategic narratives on the Finnish community of value are diverse but return to similar points of boundary-making problematizing the ‘Migrant’ as part of a ‘suspect population’. The character of the community of value is simultaneously defined through the ordinary actions of its ‘Good Citizens’ and Finland as ‘not-Sweden’. Ultimately, the role left to play for the ‘Migrant’ is one of a ‘Tolerated Citizen’. These findings add a contribution to the field of critical migration and integration studies, as well as to the field of Finnish and Nordic political discourses.

This study examines the role and implications of mimicry (Bhabha, 1994) and colonial trans-lation (Young, 2003) in Swedish adoption narratives. Through a deconstructive narrative analysis of three Swedish adoption texts: Längtansbarnen: Adoptivförädrar berättar [The Longed for/Longing Children: Adoptive parents tell their story] (Weigl, 1997), Adoption: Banden som gör oss till familj [Adoption: the ties that make us a family] (Juusela, 2010), and Gul Utanpå [Yellow on the Outside] (Lundberg, 2013); the study explores how mimicry manifests itself in adoption narratives, the process of the translation of the adoptee into a mimic Swede, and how the transnational/-racial adoptee as a mimic poses a threat, as mimicry turns to menace.The study finds that mimicry emerges as a process, where the adoptee is first desired as abody of difference that can become an almost the same Swede, a mimic Swede, while keeping an almost difference. A dual translation process takes place where the adoptee’s body is translated from a body of a difference that is total into a mimic Swede, while a version of Swedishness is translated onto the body. As a mimic, the adoptee communicates their (almost) sameness through an excessive, but limited version of Swedishness, while disavowing their difference.However, their difference is still visible, and continuously communicated through (mis)recognition by others. The adoptee’s mimicry is prone to turn into menace, where they pose a threat to the identity of the white Swede and meanings of white Swedishness.Key Words: Transnational/-racial Adoption; Mimicry; Colonial Translation; DeconstructiveNarrative Analysis; Sweden

From the animal and trickster tales told by enslaved Africans in America to current education and performance based storytelling by contemporary African American storytellers, this study traces the aesthetics and epistemologies of the collaborative African diasporic oral expressive traditions. Through systematic analysis based on data derived from bibliographic and archival sources, interviews, and participant observation, it delineates the progression of the repertoire and content of Blackstorytelling through the lives and works of national and internationally known storytellers, Jackie Torrence, Linda Goss and Charlotte Blake Alston. Its theoretical framework is inspired by Kariamu Welsh Asante’s aesthetic senses coupled with pertinent ideas of other scholars in the field. The study demonstrates the existence of significant evidence of cultural preservation and artistic re-interpretation of the African aesthetic in Blackstorytelling. The genre comprises both traditional and contemporary expressions of African American culture. As such, it is a major component of the universal African oral continuum / African American Studies

The justification of war is a central issue in international relations, and the characteristic political response to war is to adopt a story that offers a degree of explanation. Narratives play a central role in garnering public support for wars to be seen as legitimate. Soft power, which includes sociocultural factors such as the state's image, credibility, shared values, and moral authority, also plays a crucial role. In the digital age, with the rise of social media, diplomacy has transformed and become a primary source of news with unparalleled global reach. Consequently, digital diplomacy has become essential for states to communicate their policy objectives directly to their audience through compelling social media narratives, especially during times of war. There have been few studies examining the relationship between soft power, digital diplomacy, and strategic narratives during wartime. This study uses visual narrative analysis (VNA) to address this gap by analysing eight video tweets published by the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) during the Israeli-Hamas war from October 7, 2023, and the six months after. The results show that the Israeli MFA used strategic narratives to legitimise the war. Notably, they used visual representations to emphasise Israel’s right to self-defence and its proximity to Western ideals, to garner support. Strategic narratives provide a storytelling which invoke the past to illuminate the present and future and create a shared identity in the context of the Israel-Hamas War.

The beverage industry plays a pivotal role in global environmental impact, necessitating an urgent transformation from its current linear economy model of extract-produce-use-dispose. The evidence of environmental disasters has highlighted the unsustainable nature of this model and the pressing need for change. Consequently, the industry is exploring how to contribute to a more sustainable future. Here, the circular economy (CE) has emerged as a strategic tool to promote more sustainable resource utilization and mitigate environmental impacts. The aim of the research was to identify the prevailing discourse and expectations around CE at the microlevel in the Swedish beverage industry across the whole value chain as well as map the trajectories outlined for circularity within this sector. A content analysis of 121 Swedish magazines and media articles from the past six years was conducted, along with a narrative analysis. The study reveals active engagement in CE practices across several stakeholder groups, primarily led by processing companies. These initiatives align with the waste hierarchy, with recycling and re-use of plastics, food waste and by-products being the most prevalent. The beverage industry’s stakeholders anticipate CE efforts to contribute to environmental and economic benefits as well as compliance with legal requirements and a change in consumer behavior. The findings led to three narratives being formed: "Rethinking Plastics: Transforming Plastic Use in the Swedish Beverage Industry", "From Waste to Taste: Rescuing Resources in the Swedish Beverage Industry", and "From Sustainability to Profitability: Unveiling the Economic Potential of CE Ventures in the Swedish Beverage Industry". / Dryckesindustrin spelar en central roll för den globala miljöpåverkan, vilket kräver en omfattande omställning från den nuvarande linjära ekonomimodellen som omfattas av ”slit-och-släng”. Miljökatastroferna har visat att denna modell är ohållbar och att det finns ett akut behov av förändring. Följaktligen undersöker industrin hur man kan bidra till en mer hållbar framtid. Här har den cirkulära ekonomin (CE) vuxit fram som ett strategiskt verktyg för att främja ett mer hållbart resursutnyttjande och minska miljöpåverkan. Syftet med studien var att identifiera den rådande diskursen och förväntningarna kring CE på mikronivå i den svenska dryckesindustrin över hela värdekedjan samt kartlägga de banor som beskrivs för cirkuläritet inom denna sektor. En innehållsanalys av 121 svenska tidskrifter och medieartiklar från de senaste fem åren har genomförts, tillsammans med en narrativ analys. Studien påvisar ett aktivt engagemang för CE-metoder inom flera intressentgrupper, främst drivet av förädlingsföretag. Dessa initiativ är i linje med avfallshierarkin, med återvinning och återanvändning av plast, matavfall och biprodukter som de mest förekommande. Aktörer inom dryckesindustrin förväntar sig att CE-insatserna ska bidra till miljömässiga och ekonomiska fördelar samt efterlevnad av lagkrav och ett förändrat konsumentbeteende. Resultaten ledde till formuleringen av följande tre narrativ: "Att omvärdera plast: Förändring av plastanvändningen i den svenska dryckesindustrin", "Från avfall till smak: Rädda resurser i den svenska dryckesindustrin", "Från hållbarhet till lönsamhet: Synliggör den ekonomiska potentialen i CE-satsningar inom den svenska dryckesindustrin".

This study is an inquiry into discourses which influence gay people's lives. Foucault's ideas regarding knowledge, power, discipline, discourse and sexuality form the epistemological background enabling a social constructivist-deconstructive analysis of these concepts in relation to the problem of homosexuality. The theological origins of influential discourses form the focus of one chapter. Additional discursive fields - such as psychology, education, the military and legislature - are also investigated. Besides the research initiator, three other participants shared their experiences of being gay in a conservative religious context. The narrative analysis spawned five themes of discourse ranging from homophobic discourses - which invite oppression into silence - through reverse-discourse, to those discourses which encourage free expression of gayness. The study seems to support a Foucauldian view that there are various influential power-relations which contest for the right to define human sexuality. Judging from the study, homosexuals do not appear to be powerless or completely silenced at all. / Practical Theology / MTH - SPEC PAST THERAPY

Teenage pregnancy is an ever increasing dilemma in South Africa. Dealing effectively with pregnant teenagers is a continuous challenge for the health care providers particularly the nursing staff. The present study focuses on the reproductive health care services in a Gauteng province clinic and pregnant teenagers' experiences of their interaction with the nursing staff. Six pregnant teenagers were included in the study. Data consistied of the participants' narratives regarding the health care services provided by the nursing staff. Themes from the narratives were identified and explored according to a Social Constructionism stance within the Postmodernist paradigm. Factors found to affect the experiences of the pregnant teenagers included acceptance, respect, effective communication, privacy, trust and the dedication and professionalism of the nursing staff. / Psychology / M.A. (Clinical Psychology)